Welcome to Storybrooke
by joshiferdallas
Summary: (AU - no curse, but there is hidden magic, everyone but Emma lives in Storybrooke, Henry doesn't know he's adopted.) Emma Swan had had enough of her fast paced city lifestyle and needed a new start, a new job and a new love interest. Could Storybrooke be Emma's magical new start, or would it just bring back all of her horrible memories? A Swan Queen fic.
1. Point and Go

(AU - no curse, everyone but Emma lives in Storybrooke, Henry doesn't know he's adopted.) Emma Swan had had enough of her fast paced city lifestyle and needed a new start, a new job and a new love interest. Could Storybrooke be Emma's magical new start, or would it just bring back all of her horrible memories? A Swan Queen fic.

* * *

_"Who gets to determine when _

_the old ends and the new begins? _

_It's not on the calendar, _

_it's not a birthday, _

_it's not a new year._

_It's an event, big or small, _

_something that changes us. _

_Ideally, that gives us hope, _

_a new way of living and looking at the world, _

_a way of letting go of _

_old habits, old memories. _

_What's important is that _

_we never stop believing _

_we can have a new beginning, _

_but it's also important to remember that, _

_amid all the crap, there are a few things worth holding on to."_

**- Meredith Grey**

* * *

Being a bail bonds person was most certainly something Emma couldn't see herself doing for the rest of her life, even if finding people was her speciality. After spending the majority of her life looking for her parents, looking for other people's lost loved ones wasn't really something she enjoyed. Travelling across the country several times a year to find guys paying regular visits to strip-clubs in Las Vegas, or living new lives as respectable businessmen in New York made her hate job more than ever. Eventually, she learnt, that everyone leaves something in their lives that controlled them at one point or another. Everyone is looking for something and in Emma's case; she was looking for her own fresh start. She didn't want to have to walk around town with her guard up and a gun in her purse just in case someone attacked her for forcing them to pay her back. She had spent far too long trying to defend herself, far too long building a wall that would never be knocked down, and far too long trying to find someone to love her in the way her parents, or any foster parents, never did. That was something Emma could never say she had. Well, true love that is. The last time she believed she was in love, it got her knocked up and locked up - which is never a good combination.

Emma's Friday nights were often used to finalise a job, which often meant having to fake date married men who had used her money to bail them out of one thing or another. And tonight had been no different, accept the fact that she whacked the guy's head into his steering wheel so hard that she had actually knocked him out cold. The jerk had owed her over $5,000 and was clearly not willing to buy her a drink, let alone pay off his debts to a woman that he had just met. During her journey back to her little apartment in a building that she despised, Emma realised that she had finally made up her mind to pack up and move for one last time. Was the city life really the life for her? Or was it something she had been stuck with after she was released from prison? They were the questions she asked herself repeatedly before concluding that she needed a fresh start, some new faces in her life and a new job that she could actually be proud of.

Her apartment was cold and empty as she kicked off her platform shoes the moment she swung open the door. The birthday cupcake in her hand that she had just bought for herself reminded her how alone she really was. How could she let herself be alone on her birthday for another year? Throwing her purse and cupcake on her kitchen counter, Emma slouched over to her bookshelf and aimlessly grabbed a map off the top shelf. _Where do I want to be? _She asked herself as she threw open the map on the counter. _Just point and go, Emma. Point and go. _She told herself before covering her eyes and wiggling her index finger around. Taking a deep breath, she dropped her finger onto the map and threw open her eyes. Her finger had landed directly on the name of a small town in Maine called Storybrooke. _What a stupid name for a town. _She thought as she began to google it on her cellphone. The only related article that her search produced was a Wikipedia page on the town, and in all fairness, there wasn't even 100 words on the town. _This is perfect. It exists, no one outside of the town really knows about it, it's quiet and it looks cute. _She thought as she continued to scroll through the page and glancing at the occasional photos of the area. Maybe this was the place. Maybe this was where Emma was meant to be. Maybe a whole new life awaited her in a tiny little town in Maine.

As she looked around her empty apartment, Emma knew that this should be easy for her. She had no family, no attachments, no job that required her to stay in Boston and no friends that could even attempt to persuade her stay. So what was keeping her from getting straight in her car and driving down to Maine? That was something she didn't know, but she did know that whatever it was, it was something she couldn't ignore. Emma had spent her entire life avoiding any possible attachments to places, people and jobs, and fortunately for her it was almost a second nature after the lack of continuity in her upbringing. She had been passed around over 20 families, all of which abandoned her when they felt that they had had enough. So after her third foster family, Emma stopped getting excited, she stopped getting attached and began to distance herself from everyone and everything. From that moment, Emma Swan became her own person and knew that she had to find her own way in the world, no matter how old she was, no one was going to stop her from getting the best out of her life.

The problem with distancing herself, Emma realised, was that the only things she would be packing would be her clothes, her old white baby blanket with her name sewn into the bottom in a purple ribbon that her parents had wrapped her in before abandoning her on the side of a high-way, her cruddy music collection and some photos of her when she was growing up. The more Emma contemplated leaving, the sooner she wanted to leave. Maybe she would actually meet someone on her birthday that could possibly make this a good birthday. _I doubt it. _She mocked herself. _Come on, Swan. New start, new people, new life and a new year. Let this birthday be the start of a better life. _And with that, she had completely persuaded herself to pack up and move to her newly found location of Storybrooke.

It had taken her no longer than twenty minutes to pack all of her things into several boxes and packed into her car. The only thing she needed to do now was to call the landlord of her apartment and actually leave her tiny home in the middle of Boston. Her kitchen had always been empty, accept for a carton of juice in her refrigerator and several apples in her fruit bowl - it always made going away that little bit easier. The only thing that remained in her kitchen, however, was the birthday cupcake that she had bought for herself earlier that evening. But that was something she wanted to keep until she actually left her apartment for the last time. Looking around to find anything else that needed to be done, Emma noticed that she was almost ready to go. The only thing now was to call her landlord and explain what she's about to do.

"Hey, Mr Rozen. It's Emma Swan, the tenant of apartment 205." She said as soon as her landlord answered her call.

"Oh, the blonde one, right?" He replied, vaguely remembering who she actually was.

"Yeah... Uh, I'm moving away so I called to let you know that I'm leaving the key under the mat and this month's rent money is on the table."

"May I ask where you're going, Miss Swan?" Mr Rozen asked, sounding rather concerned about his property more than the woman on the other end of the phone call.

"Somewhere new. I've suddenly become bored of the city life and wanted a fresh start. So, thank you for everything you've done for me over the past year, Mr Rozen."

"Well, thank you Miss Swan, and good luck with whatever it is you're looking for."

Before Emma could even say goodbye to her landlord, he had ended the call as soon as he could. No doubt he would be on his was over to the apartment to see if she's actually left and to possibly throw the property straight on the market. Not that Emma cared, she just expected a little longer to actually get herself on the road.

"Happy birthday, Emma." She said aloud whilst taking a candle and a lighter from her purse.

Stabbing the cupcake with the stumpy candle, Emma couldn't stop herself from smiling with excitement of an adventure that was awaiting her. _Make a wish, Swan. _She thought to herself as she lit the candle and closed her eyes. Blowing out the candle, she threw open her eyes like a child on Christmas morning, ripped the candle out of the cupcake and headed for the door with her purse thrown over her shoulder. This was it. The beginning of her new start. Her stomach tossed and turned with excitement as she locked her apartment door and hid the key underneath the grubby old doormat of which was incredibly unwelcoming. The grin on Emma's face was something that couldn't be wiped away by anyone, not even James, the apartment block's security guard that spent his entire evening shift watching tv shows on his laptop, eating donuts and hitting on Emma every single goddamn time she walked passed him.

"Evening beautiful. Where are you going?" He whacked the spacebar on his keyboard to pause his show and raised to his feet to meet the blonde's piercing green eyes that were staring directly at him.

"I'm on the run. Just killed the last guy that called me beautiful and didn't mean it. He just wanted to get laid. Anyway, the cops are going to be here soon, so you're going to want to get off your computer and actually do your job. You might want to clean the blood off of my apartment door. It's a bit of a giveaway." Emma said, sounding as serious and psychotic as possible.

James' jaw dropped as he watched Emma confess to a murder in apartment 205.

"But... but... no, you couldn't have. If you did, you never would have told me!" He mumbled, trying so hard to piece together everything that she had said, but also trying to deduct what she was really telling him, the same way that British guy did in some Sherlock Holmes remake.

"Maybe that's why I told you; because you wouldn't believe me if it was true. Would you, James?"

He shook his head in amazement.

"So you're leaving here? Did you really kill a guy? Where are you going? Aren't you going to say goodbye? Come on, Emma! Not even one last kiss for your favourite security guard? Emma!" He shouted after her as she laughed and walked towards the revolving doors of the apartment block.

"Screw you, James!" Emma shouted, sticking both of her middle fingers up in the air towards James and cackling as she walked out of the doors for the last time.

That was the scariest part; leaving and knowing that she's never going to return. She couldn't. That would be defeating the entire idea of actually leaving. Looking down at her hands, Emma hadn't realised that the had squished the cupcake in her fist as she stuck her fingers up at James. Flicking the remainder of cake off her hands, she reached inside her purse for her car keys and jumped straight into her bright yellow beetle that was filled with the cardboard boxes enclosing her entire life.

"Goodbye, Boston." She sighed and put the car into drive before pulling away from her parking spot.


	2. Welcome to Storybrooke

_(AU - no curse, but there is hidden magic, everyone but Emma lives in Storybrooke, and Henry doesn't know he's adopted.) Emma Swan had had enough of her fast paced city lifestyle and needed a new start, a new job and a new love interest. Could Storybrooke be Emma's magical new start, or would it just bring back all of her horrible memories? A Swan Queen fic._

* * *

"When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change;

at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened

or in saying that we are not yet ready.

The challenge will not wait.

Life does not look back.

A week is more than enough time for us to decide

whether or not to accept our destiny."

**_- Paulo Coelho_**

* * *

Emma's three hour car journey differentiated from badly singing Bon Jovi songs like a teenage girl with a hairbrush in her bedroom, to torturing herself by reevaluating her life over that last 15 years. Her little back-story was most certainly something that Storybrooke didn't need to know anything about. Besides, she couldn't change the unfortunate turn of events that had occurred in here life from the day she was born until today, her 28th birthday. She couldn't pretend that she gave birth to a baby boy in prison, she couldn't pretend that she didn't actually go to prison, nor could she pretend that she had never loved a man who clearly didn't love her enough to take the blame for something he had done. Emma often thought about what her life would have been like if her parents hadn't wrapped her in her huge white blanket and left her on the highway - would she have had a family? Would she be in love? Would she have gone to jail? Every time she thought about the subject she would ask herself those three questions over and over again. Was that worse than actually remembering what once was than thinking about what could have been? Either way, Emma no longer wanted the answer. The only question she wanted answered was '_how much longer?'_ According to a calculation she did as she was leaving Boston, she estimated that it would take her around three hours and twenty minutes. And according to the miniature clock in her car, she was only five minutes away from a new life. 8:15pm was the exact time on the clock.

Losing herself in her trail of thought, Emma hadn't noticed that she was slowly approaching a huge 'welcome' sign. Could it be Storybrooke? Increasing her speed, Emma glanced towards the sign once again. "Welcome to Storybrooke" it read in large rustic letters. Behind the authentic welcome sign was a huge green state sign reinforcing that drivers were entering the little town of Storybrooke. Surrounding her car and a long stretch of road was an abyss of forestry, which was something Emma was certainly not used to, unless you include a concrete jungle as some form of forestry. This town was already beginning to grow on Emma and she hadn't even arrived at her destination as of yet.

In a not so far off clearing, Emma spotted a glimmer of the town lights. _Finally_, she sighed whilst smiling with relief as she drove onto Main Street. The only illumination of lights were the street lights above her car and the light that shone from the town clock face which ready 8:20pm, exactly the time she had estimated that she would arrive. The only thing that troubled her was the lack of population in Storybrooke. She hadn't seen a single person in the entire time that she had been driving though the small town. But one thing she did see, however, was the glow from the lights of a huge mansion that had appeared in on a small road that she had just pulled onto. Maybe she could ask for directions to a Bed & Breakfast so she could stay the night before spending the next morning property hunting. As Emma got closer to the house, the more she could see of its beauty and longed to meet its inhabitants.

"Bugger it." Emma said as she pulled up directly outside the gate to the huge mansion and parked her car.

Biting her bottom lip, Emma heaved herself out of the car and made her way up the weed-less path and perfect front lawn to knock on the great big white door in front of her. Everything about the house was perfect. The porch had been cleared of all leaves, the paint job of the entire building looked as though it had been painted that very day, and even the rose beds along the path were dug out perfectly. Clearly no kids lived here, unless their parents we're complete control freaks or they were just really well behaved kids - to which she seriously began to disagree of the latter.

Hoping to have a few questions answered, Emma knocked the door several times, took a step back and waited. To Emma's relief, the door opened only moments after her knock to reveal a woman in her early thirties wearing a skirt suit and heels. Not only did she live in a beautiful house, she had a beautiful figure too in Emma's eyes. Her brown hair sat perfectly on her shoulders and her posture resembled that of royalty. The woman stood in the doorway with a welcome smile drawn across her face.

"Good evening." The brunette said to the strange blonde headed woman on her doorstep.

"Hi. I'm Emma Swan." She muttered, before offering her hand, which was rejected by a disapproving look. "I'm sorry to bother you at this time of the evening, I'm new here and your lights are the only ones visible from the road."

"Oh, well, welcome to Storybrooke! Would you like to come in? I've just opened some of the best apple cider you've ever tasted."

The woman at the door stepped backwards to welcome the blonde from her porch into her home. Without hesitation, Emma plunged her hands into the pockets of her red leather jacket and walked into the gigantic home. Just as she suspected, it was just as beautiful as the outside, maybe even more. A short staircase led into an open planned entrance hall that was almost as elegant as its owner with an incredibly simplistic but sophisticated look. Standing at the top of the stairs in awe, Emma attempted to take in the view of the house before getting interrupted by still unknown brunette, who had to slide past to be able to guide her into a side room.

"Would you follow me, Miss Swan?" Said the brunette who was trying to hide a small giggle at the woman staring at her home's interior.

Emma nodded and followed the woman into a library with a blazing fire, a drinks cabinet and two padded benches with a small coffee table between them. Either this woman had a lot of money, or her parents were complete pushovers to give her this house. Either way, Emma didn't care, as she was too interested in the beautiful interior choices of the house. Unlike many other mansions with some serious interior design, the mysterious brunette's actually felt like a home.

"Take a seat." She insisted with a light hand gesture towards one of the benches.

Making herself comfortable and at home, Emma relaxed her shoulders a little, enjoying the presence of the other woman. Moments later, Emma found herself accepting a rather large glass of home brewed apple cider.

"Thank you," Emma smiled.

"My pleasure. Don't drink it too fast, many people believe it's a tad stronger than they thought it would be." The brunette admitted before taking a seat on the bench opposite Emma. "I am sorry, I don't believe I've introduced myself yet. I'm Regina Mills, I happen to be the mayor of the town, so you've managed to stumble upon the right person in this town to meet straight away!"

_'So that's where the money came from' _Emma thought to herself as she took a small sip of the mayor's apple cider with a smile.

Regina had been watching every move that the blonde made, hoping that she wasn't some sort of tourist who wanted to know why the town was so quiet and rarely had any visitors. Of course, the real reason for it being so quiet was all down to the fact that it had previously been an old mining town and without the mines being open anymore, there was no real requirement for people to actually visit the town. There was nothing special about it. No one who lived there had ever risen to fame, nothing strange ever happened there and no one seemed to ever leave, nor visit. Accept for Emma. The real question on Regina's mind was; _who is she?_

"It's a pleasure to meet you Madam Mayor. I'm looking to stay here for a little while and maybe even buy a place. Do you know where I could stay for the night before spending all of my day aimlessly wandering around your little town?" Emma asked, trying to spark a worthwhile conversation.

"Of course, there's Granny's Bed and Breakfast down on Main Street, just behind her diner. It's quaint and slightly old fashioned, but it serves its duty. May I ask why you chose Storybrooke?"

"Honestly? It was through a process that I like to call 'point and go'. I closed my eyes and randomly pointed at a destination and my finger just so happened to land directly on your town's name and drove straight up. Maybe it was destiny." Emma joked and began to feel nervous, almost knowing exactly what the mayor was going to ask sooner or later.

"Oh! So you've never been to Storybrooke before? I will warn you, it's incredibly quiet if you were looking for a bustling little town. Nothing ever happens in Storybrooke. Everyone just seems to get on with their lives in an orderly manner. In fact, you're the only thing that's actually _happened _around here in quite some time. So, is Storybrooke a fresh start or was it for a change of scenery?"

" Good, I need somewhere quiet. I've lived in Boston for quiet some time now, and I just needed something quieter. Somewhere that I could walk the streets one day, and see some of the same faces the next day. The city life was a little too much for me, so yeah, it is kind of a change of scenery. And maybe a little bit of a fresh start..." Emma hesitated the more she spoke.

"I understand. I came to Storybrooke for a fresh start too. The man I had been engaged to marry, was brutally murdered and I just couldn't stand to see the places that we had live in and spent so much time visiting, so I went out on a limb, packed up all of my belongings and drove until I came across Storybrooke. And since then, I've never looked back. In fact, I haven't even left since the day I got here. Mind you, there hasn't really been any reason for me to leave." Regina smiled at the uncomfortable blonde woman opposite her, trying to give her some sympathy, which was something she hadn't done in such a long time.

"I am so sorry." Emma said with a glimmer of hope that the woman sitting before her would change the subject. The more she thought about the real reason that came to Storybrooke, the more she wished that she had decided to sleep in her car. Even though it had been almost 11 years, she knew that she couldn't face it.

"Me too. But, I have my son, Henry, so he keeps me going." Regina was surprised at how much she was opening up to the mysterious blonde sat before her, she even felt comfortable in her presence, which felt incredibly strange. "I'm guessing that you don't have any children, Miss Swan..."

Emma's sudden stare at Regina made her question whether the woman could see into her past. Or was she just being friendly? Either way, Emma couldn't stop herself from thinking that it was more than coincidental that this woman just so happened to adopt a son 10 years after Emma had given her own up for adoption, which was one of the biggest mistakes she ever made.

"Well, from that look, I guess I was wrong."

"I had a son 10 years ago, but I put him up for adoption straight after he was born. I was eighteen, my life had some serious complications and I was completely alone. That wasn't the life I wanted him to have." Emma admitted, not being able to stop herself from saying it.

Regina watched the blonde circle the top of her glass with her thumb and staring at the coffee table between them.

"Well, Miss Swan, sometimes we have to do what is best for others and not ourselves. You did what was right."

Emma gave a gratifying smile before being startled by a loud knock on the heavy wooden door. Regina stood, flattened her shirt and glided to the door, which she opened to reveal a small boy.

"Mom, I can't sleep." Said the little voice in the doorway.

Regina opened the door further to allow her son into the room.

"Who are you?" He asked, looking at Emma with a puzzled and tired glance.

"This is Miss Emma Swan, Henry. She's new to Storybrooke, so I thought I would invite her in for a chat." Regina said before Emma could reply.

Retaking her seat opposite Emma, Regina offered her arms to her son, which he willingly took without hesitation by curling up by the side of her and rested his head upon her lap. Regina smiled as she dragged her fingers through Henry's hair to help him dose off to sleep.

"So, Miss Swan, did you have a job in Boston?" Regina asked, trying to resume a conversation.

"I kept myself busy. I spent a lot of my time as a bail bonds person. That was another reason for my sudden desire to move." Emma swigged her cider once again, trying not to watch Regina lull her son into a peaceful sleep.

"Oh, so you're a people person? If you do decided to stay here, there's an opening at the Sheriff's Station. Our Sheriff, Graham, feels the need for a deputy to help out around the town. It would be a good way for you to get to know the town and it's members." She suggested, feeling rather generous.

"I thought you said nothing happens around here...?" Emma chuckled.

"Nothing does happen. He just gets lonely in that station all day. Not even the kids play up around here." Regina admitted, defending the town that she had felt so proud of.

Emma smiled and nodded towards Henry, who was now almost unconscious in his sleep. "Looks like someone just needed a cuddle."

Regina laughed and kissed her son's head before gently lifting his head from her lap to slide from beneath him.

"Hopefully he hasn't gone dead weight again. I can't carry him when he does that!" Regina said as she slid her hands beneath her son's body to lift him into her arms, before sighing in defeat. "He's too heavy. I guess someone's going to be sleeping in here tonight!"

"Do you want me to try?" Emma asked, as she put her almost empty cider glass on the coffee table, wanting to be helpful.

"Umm, okay." Regina stood aside to let the mysterious blonde try to lift her son.

Emma stood over Henry and slid her arms under his limp and heavy body, the same way his mother had just tried. Transferring the weight to her back and legs, she lifted him into her arms without a problem. Regina's expression caused Emma to giggle at her shock.

"Where to, Madam Mayor?" Emma asked, willing to follow the mayor.

With a flick of her wrist, Regina signaled Emma to follow her out of the library and up the huge white staircase. By now, Henry was getting heavy in her arms and climbing the stairs became a challenge. _'I need to work out.' _Emma told herself, trying not to show how unfit she really was. When they reached the top of the staircase, Emma was ready to drop. '_How heavy could a 10 year old be?_' she wondered. Regina continued onto the landing area and opened a large white door that led into Henry's bedroom.

"Could I possibly ask you to put him into bed?" Regina asked, realising how terrible this must have sounded to her guest.

"Sure." Emma whispered, trying not to wake Henry.

With the heavy, limp body of Regina's son weighing down in her arms, Emma felt relieved to be able to put the child down. Like everything else in the Mayor's home, Henry's bedroom was huge. His bedroom, Emma guessed, was roughly the same size of the living, dining and kitchen area in the apartment that she had given up earlier that night. As she approached the bed, Regina turned down the duvet that was spread across the huge double bed. Placing him on the sheets as gently as she could, Emma couldn't help but feel nothing but regret about the decision she made 10 years ago when she decided to give up her own son. He slept so peacefully that he made Emma want to sit by his side and watch over him as he slept. She almost felt protective over the kid that she hadn't properly met yet. With Regina standing over the opposite side of the bed, Emma snapped out of her focus on Henry and grabbed the opposite corner of Henry's duvet to what Regina was holding and simultaneously raised it over his body before tucking it under his chin.

"Thank you," Regina whispered as she signaled Emma to join her back in the library to finish their drinks.

Their walk back into the library was one in silence, but neither felt the need to talk. Both women took their same seats once again and reached for their glasses.

"You should know, I have never had to ask a guest to put Henry to bed for me. That was a show of terrible manners. I can't apologise and thank you enough." Regina said and took a light sip of her cider, which was still half full compared to Emma's, which was almost empty.

"It's okay. He seems like a nice kid."

"Well, Miss Swan, he didn't exactly share his greatest qualities with you. In fact, he was quite rude."

"The kid was tired. I didn't expect any manners from someone that tired." Emma laughed, making Regina feel at ease.

"Do you have all of your belongings in storage, or are they being transported to you soon?" Regina asked, turning the conversation back to Emma.

"It's all in my car, actually. I'm not a very sentimental person. I have my clothes and essentials, what more do I need?"

"Oh, well some people find life easier that way! But you are sentimental about places though, aren't you, Miss Swan?" This was a question that Regina couldn't stop herself from asking, even though she already knew the answer.

Emma raised an eyebrow at how much Regina could guess about a person by spending just an hour with them. "Maybe a little bit. That's why I wanted something different. Storybrooke is quaint and unlike anywhere else I've lived."

"Where was the longest place you stayed?" Regina was now intrigued by Emma's past and couldn't help but want to know even more about the blonde.

"Tallahassee." Emma said, "I lived there for just over two years."

Regina smiled sympathetically and caught s glimpse of Emma's now empty glass. "Can I get you some more?" she asked and pointed towards the glass.

"I had better not. It's probably late and I should get going if I want somewhere to stay tonight." Emma said, standing from the bench and placing the glass on the coffee table. "Thank you for the cider, Madam Mayor."

"You're welcome to stay here for the night, if you wish." Regina suggested. "I'm sure Granny would put you up for the rest of the week under discounted rates until you find some where to live."

The sudden feeling of kindness was something that Regina hadn't felt in such a long time. She took pity on the blonde and wanted nothing more than to help her and to be the friend that she so desperately needed when she lost Daniel. Maybe this woman could trigger her own fresh start. Either way, Regina was beginning to enjoy her company

"Thank you, Mayor Mills, for your generosity. But I couldn't leave you with such a burden." Emma admitted.

Her real reason for not wanting to crash at the mayor's house was attachment. If she fell into the trap of making friends straight away, she would never leave, things would happen and it was most likely that she would spend the rest of her life feeling unhappy. But she knew she couldn't admit such a thing to Regina. Maybe this woman could trigger her own fresh start. Either way, Regina was beginning to enjoy her company. The two women stood in silence with the occasional glance at the other for a few moments, until Emma felt that it was her cue to leave the Mayor's home. With a slight nod of her head in appreciation, Emma started for the door.

"Thank you, Miss Swan, for helping with Henry. Is there anything else I could help you with before you leave?" Regina asked as Emma reached the door.

"I don't think-" Emma muttered before realising how hungry she was, after all, she crushed the cupcake she had bought for herself when she rudely said goodbye to her former apartment security guard, James. "Actually, do you know if there's anywhere I could get some food around here?"

Regina looked down at her little wristwatch, which read 10:30pm. She had been sat with Emma for over two hours! "I don't believe there is, I'm afraid. Granny Lucas closes the diner early on a Friday; we don't have anywhere that does take-out food and our grocery store shut an hour ago. But I do have some left over lasagne and an apple turnover, if you want them."

Smiling at the Mayor, Emma nodded with gratitude for what the Mayor had already done for her in the two hours that she had been in Storybrooke. It had only taken her ten minutes to decide that Storybrooke was the place for her, but Regina's polite and friendly welcome sealed the deal entirely.

Regina led Emma into the kitchen and packed a serving of her lasagne into a tightly sealed food container before doing the same with one of her large apple turnovers in another box and handing both boxes to Emma.

"Thanks. Umm, could you direct me to the bed and breakfast?" Emma queried as she followed Regina out of the kitchen and back into the large, open planned entrance hall.

"Of course. If you head back out onto Main Street, drive until you see Mr Gold's Pawn Shop, take the left beside the shop and left again where you'll find a few parking lots and Granny's Bed and Breakfast sticks out like a sore thumb." Regina opened the door for Emma and waited on her doorstep until the blonde had arrived at the gate of her house.

"Welcome to Storybrooke, Miss Swan." Regina shouted.

"Goodnight, Mayor Mills and thanks again for your hospitality." Emma smiled at the woman standing on the porch of her house, opened the gate and jumped straight into her car without another word.

With a huge sigh of relief, Emma sunk into the driver's seat of her dirty old bug. _'Is the Mayor always so polite to people, or was that just an act?' _she asked herself, feeling as though she had fallen into a trap that she would fall far too deep into. _'Maybe that's just who she is.' _Even though she liked Regina, Emma couldn't help but feel that whatever she just witnessed wasn't something that Regina always flaunted. Either way, Emma told herself that she didn't care and that she shouldn't care. Moving to Storybrooke was going to be a fresh start, she didn't need friends, especially after spending twenty-eight years without any, she could live without other people in her life.

Shaking all of her thoughts out of her head, Emma started her car and headed in the direction of Granny's Bed and Breakfast. Trying to remember what Regina had told her seemed more difficult than she actually thought. Driving down Main Street as slow as possible, Emma actually had a glimpse of some of the people who lived in the small town, _'So, it's not just Henry and Regina around here,'_ she laughed. Almost missing the turning next to Mr Gold's Pawn Shop, Emma slammed her breaks on as fast as she could, hoping that no one spotted her reckless driving.

After spending longer than it should have to find the bed and breakfast, Emma couldn't wait to be able to lie down in a bed and completely pass out the same way that Henry had right before her eyes not so long ago. Grabbing the food Regina gave her and a pre-packed over night bag, Emma got out of her car and headed for the dingy building that was sign posted as the B&B that the Mayor had personally suggested. She pushed the rickety door open to find an elderly woman knitting a bright red shawl behind the reception desk.

"Is it 2am already, Ruby?" The old woman muttered, not taking her eyes off her knitting.

"I'm sorry?" Emma said, catching the woman's attention.

"Oh, I am sorry, you're not Ruby. In fact, I don't think I've seen you around before..." She said, throwing her knitting onto the desk and standing to get a better look at the blonde woman standing before her.

"I'm new here and I was wondering if there was a room that I could rent out for a week or so. Do you have any?"

"Well, we don't really have any visitors to Storybrooke, so the entire place is empty. Are you here to visit someone, or did you just come for a quiet break?" The woman asked, as she heaved a huge, dusty book from under the desk and loudly dropping it onto the table, causing a cloud of dust to gush into Emma's face and making her sneeze.

"I'm looking to buy a place." Emma said, wafting the cloud away from her face and surprising the old woman.

"Are you crazy? A young woman like you should be living a busy city life and enjoying everything it has to offer!"

"That's why I've come here — to escape the busy city life. A quiet new start was something I needed after spending so long in Boston."

The old woman nodded with understanding and lifted a key off of the wall beside her. "This is a square facing view, we usually charge more for these, but since we're completely empty, you might as well have the best room. Have you met anyone yet?"

"Thank you. I met the Mayor as soon as I arrived and she invited me into her home. She even gave me this." Emma admitted, lifting the food containers a little higher. "She seems like a genuinely nice person. Is she like that all the time?"

The old woman scoffed before replying in a harsh tone. "Fortunately for you, you've seen a side to her that none of us but Henry have actually witnessed. No, dear, she isn't always like that."

Just as Emma had suspected. This was another reason why she shouldn't get attached to people — everybody lies. No doubt Regina would attempt to recruit Emma for some cruel council work now. Maybe that was why she dropped the hit about applying for the deputy's position at the Sheriff's Station.

"What's your name dear, just so I can write it down in the book." The old woman interrupted her trail of thought.

"Um, Emma Swan." She stuttered, trying to get her mind back on track.

"It's a pleasure, Emma. Everyone around her calls me Granny Lucas, or just Granny." She smiled. "If you head up these stairs and turn right, your room is the first one on the left. If you happen to have any problems, there is a phone in the room with my number on a card beside it, so don't hesitate to call if you need anything."

"Thanks." Emma said as she started to walk up the stairs to her room.

"Welcome to Storybrooke, Miss Swan."

As soon as Emma walked into the room, she kicked off her black leather boots, threw her over-night bag onto the bed and let her red leather jacket fall off her shoulders and onto the floor. Sighing with a greater relief than she had whilst in her car, Emma opened the tub containing the freshly baked apple turnover, grabbed it in her fist and jumped straight onto the double bed in the middle of the room.

"I'm going to like it here." She said aloud after taking a large bite out of the turnover.

* * *

**in my reviews a guest said that Regina wouldn't have welcomed a ****stranger into her house and allowed her to put her son to bed, granny cleared that up where she mentioned she emma had seen a side to her than no one has witnessed. this will be cleared up in chapter 3! don't worry, my intentions wasn't to write a version of regina that was completely out of character. i have far too many sarcastic snaps lined up for her! i do hope you're all enjoying this, though. if you are, please leave a review! reviews help a writer grow and they make us want to write more and a lot faster!x **


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